His business sells thousands of guns a year, and Shawn Wagner believed he needed to boost safety measures after two gun mishaps last week, including the a suicide of a 16-year-old boy, he said Wednesday.

The boy was a friend of his fiance's daughter, which led to an intense dinner table discussion, Wagner said.

"The whole thing of guns was a big topic," he said. "'Are your guns locked up? They damned well better be."

Besides the suicide on March 20, a man's pistol unintentionally discharged but caused no injuries when he used it to hit a Mills resident in the head on Saturday.

Shelby Williams, Wagner's fiance, and her daughter work with the Natrona County Suicide Prevention Task Force, and the two incidents inspired them with an idea involving his store, Wagner said.

Rocky Mountain Discount Sports intends to distribute between 1,200 and 1,300 gun locks at the task force's booth at the annual Blue Envelope Health Fair at the Casper Events Center from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

While the Suicide Prevention Task Force has offered free gun locks before, Wagner said this was his first time to contribute.

The store will contribute some, and some suppliers of gun locks agreed to pitch in as well, he said.

There are three basic types of gun locks, he said.

* Cable locks feature a wire from the lock mechanism inserted through the magazine and breech and connected to the lock.

* Trigger locks inserted in the trigger guard.

* Locks for lever action rifles.

The locks cost anywhere from $5 to $20, Wagner said.

The gun locks not distributed at the Suicide Prevention Task Force will be available for free at Rocky Mountain Discount Sports, he said.

Williams' mother, Jean Davies, has worked with the task force and is executive director of the Wyoming Meth Project.

The Suicide Prevention Task Force has distributed gun locks at health fairs before but ran out of them, Davies said.

Her future son-in-law told her last week that he wanted to remind people to be responsible with firearms, she said. "There's a strong responsibility that comes with guns, and that the most important thing is safety."

Davies isn't aware of studies about the effectiveness of gun locks, but keeping guns in safes and storing ammunition separately will discourage suicidal people from using firearms, she said.

Besides the gun lock distribution itself on Saturday, the donation from Rocky Mountain Discount Sports should enhance youth suicide awareness, Davies said.

"This is an opportunity for people to watch for the signs and symptoms [of suicide] with their kids and their friends," she said.

Reach Tom Morton at (307) 266-0592, or at tom.morton@trib.com.